Hip-hop star Nas protests FOX News ‘Obama smears’

Citing what he calls “race baiting” and “Obama smears” by FOX, Nas will join ColorOfChange.org and MoveOn.org to deliver more than 620,000 petition signatures demanding that the network end its “pattern of racist attacks against black Americans,” among them presidential candidate Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.

In a statement to media, Nas, ColorOfChange.org and MoveOn.org announced the petition will be delivered to FOX’s Manhattan offices on July 23 at 2 p.m. ET.

In joining the protest, Nas cites FOX’s portrayal of the Obamas as outsiders, as well as an on-screen graphic referring to Michelle Obama as “Obama’s baby mama” and the confusing of Obama and Osama by a pundit, who joked that they should both be assassinated. In February, Bill O’Reilly talked about a “lynching party” to deal with Michelle Obama.

“FOX poisons the country with racist propaganda and tries to call it news,” Nas said in the statement.

“When FOX talks about lynching the woman who may soon be our first lady and then refers to this wife and mother as a ‘baby mama,’ they are maligning not only the Obamas, but black women and black people across this country,” said James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org, said in the statement.

“We have over 600,000 signatures — more than half a million people — saying that we won’t stand for FOX’s racism and hate-mongering.”

Nas came to the attention of ColorOfChange.org, a 450,000-member grassroots organization focusing on issues of importance to African Americans, and MoveOn.org, after the release of the new song, “Sly Fox.” It features such lyrics as, “Watch what you watchin’/ FOX keeps feeding us toxins,” and, “I pledge allegiance to the fair and balanced truth/ Not the biased truth/ Not the liar’s truth/ But the highest truth.”

But Nas stirred controversy last fall when he announced that his 2008 album would be named for the “N word.” The title came under fire from the NAACP, Reverend Jesse Jackson and a Brooklyn, New York, assemblyman. Nas latter scuttled the title, simply calling the new album, which was released July 11, “Untitled.”